Agasyampalli

The "Before" and "After" images from the Indian NRSA show that the area of the town was very heavily damaged by the tsunami. There is an area along the beach for approximately 40m where all vegetation has been stripped bare. The aquaculture and ricefields are heavily damaged, and much of the mangrove swamp on the southeastern coastline is flooded and heavily damaged. Cloud cover precludes determining if the buildup of sediment on the southeastern corner of the area is intact, or has been swept away.

Analysis date: Jan 5, 2005, 1815 MST (G-7)

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Chennai City

The small lake at the end of the peninsula above the Andayar river is almost gone on the "After" image, filled with sand and silt. The beachfront area seems to have doubled in width, and all buildings and vegetation about 30m (100ft) inland are gone. Several of the islands in the river are significantly smaller than they were previously, and the amount of silt visible appears to almost block the waterway around and between these islands. There appears to have been a bridge across the Andayar river connecting the noarthern and southern peninsula. Both the bridge and some of the land areas are gone. There is damage to the southern peninsula, and to the coast road shown in the imagery. There is some damage to the road around the crescent of buildings on the inland side of the river, and some damage to the islands further up the river channel, but none of it appears to be substantial. There is flooding in several open areas around the northern portion of the city, indicating that the surge travelled well inland in some areas. This also suggests that there is moderate damage to many buildings that is not visible on this scale imagery.

Analysis date: Jan 4, 2005, 2030 MST (G-7)

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Chennai (main)

The breakwater around the harbor has been heavily struck by tsunami waves, but is undamaged. The area inside the harbor shows evidence of some damage, especially along the northern end of the breakwater and the marine railway area. There is significant evidence of erosion, and at least one small building is gone. There is minor to moderate damage to the main wharf, and the entire structure was swept clean of any unsecured items. There are no large vessels in the harbor when this photography was taken, but several small naval vessels are present. There is evidence the local fisihing fleet has sustained moderate damage, with a number of boats on the piers at the south end of the dock, and several others appear to be overturned. There are several boats that were washed ashore at the south end of the harbor.

There appears to be a large container storage area north of the harbor. The outer layers of containers are missing, and several of the other layers show signs of damage. The entire beach area north of the harbor was heavily hit, but the coastal highway appears to be intact, with traffic moving. There is also evidence of light to moderate damage to the houses on the western side of the main coast highway in the northern portion of the city.

South of the harbor, the grassy area below the harbor has been denuded of vegetation. There is evidence of erosion in several places. There are two large warehouses south of the harbor that do not show signs of physical damage, but activity around both indicate that items stored inside may have been soaked by the waves.

Analysis date: Jan 5, 2005, 1715 MST (G-7)

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Karaikal, India

Analysis date: Jan 2, 2005, 2135 MST (G-7)

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Karaikal (Detail)

Beginning at the north and working south, the small village on a peninsula to the north of Karaikal has been heavily damaged. Many of the fishing boats belonging to villagers are damaged or missing. The bridge on the main north-south highway across the river is destroyed. The bridge deck is sitting in the riverbed, and both abutments have been washed away. There is extensive flooding and erosion throughout the area. There is a zone of destruction ranging inland from the water's edge approximately 25m (75ft) all along the coast. The bridge into the village appears intact. Many of the beachfront buildings appear to have suffered light to moderate damage.

The town of Karaikal itself appears to have been harder hit. There is more destruction along the beachfront. Many buildings appear to have been destroyed, and a large number have sustained light to moderate damage. There is an area of 20 to 75m from the ocean that is scarred, eroded, and piled with small boats. Debris is visible on some village streets as far as 200 meters from the coast. Some of the minor roads close to the coastline have suffered some damage, but the main north-south highway through the village is intact and undamaged.

The area south of Karaikal is heavily damaged, with evidence of the tsunami surge reaching as far as a kilometer from the coast. The surge wiped out field boundaries, flooded fields,and damaged some minor roads in the area. There is evidence of damage to several isolated buildings, and extensive flooding of pastureland in the area. The coastline itself is heavily eroded, and there are numerous damaged fishing boats visible.

Analysis date: Jan 5, 2005, 1545 MST (G-7)

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Nagappattinam

Beginning in the north of the city, there is moderate to extensive damage to houses along the northern edge of the town, with the greatest damage to buildings closest to the ocean. The rail right of way appears to have been abandoned for some time, but is damaged by wave action in at least two places. there are piles of debris along the eastern side of the railbed over a distance of about 400m. The beach has been well scoured, and numerous buildings damaged. The damage appears to be in pockets about 150m wide and 200m deep, separated by areas of lesser damage 50-300m wide. As in many other cities and villages, areas with trees appear to be less damaged than those without them.

The lighthouse near the mouth of the river harbor is intact, but the buildings around it have suffered moderate damage, and the area has been heavily eroded. The tank farm at the mouth of the river appears undamaged. The two barriers at the mouth of the river on each side have been damaged. The northern barrier has sustained heavy damage near the shore. There is a barge on the wharf near the mouth of the river. There are an estimated 35 boats on the beach south of the river's mouth on the small island there, and at least one additional barge. There are at least three sunken boats in the harbor area of the river. If the rail line to the harbor has not been abandoned, it is unserviceable, being cut in at least three places, and with boats washed on top of the rail line in three places.

There is a concrete breakwater running about 1200m between the river and the Indian Ocean. An area near the north end approximately 30m long has been destroyed. There are several boats along the breakwater that do not appear to be seaworthy. The area at the end of the breakwater where a bridge crosses the river is a chaotic tangle of boats and barges, including at least three boats on the bridge itself. there are pilings for another bridge, but no bridge structure. It is impossible to tell from this imagery whether there is a new bridge under construction or an old bridge being demolished.

South of the harbor and river there is more damage to buildings along the coast. There are two areas of fires, indicating that someone is probably burning debris. One of the fires is in the hardest-hit area of the city, where at least 200 buildings have been damaged or destroyed.

It's apparent from the imagery that the tsunami wave moved up the river for quite a distance. There is damage to areas around the river on both sides for at least 2km upriver. There are a number of damaged buildings and at least 15 sunken boats upriver beyond the bridge. There is extensive flooding of lowlying areas all along the riverbank.

While the majority of the city escaped major damage, the areas around the coast and along the river, as well as the harbor area, have suffered moderate to heavy damage, and will require extensive aid and rebuilding.

Analysis date: Jan 5, 2005, 2215 MST (G-7)

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Tarangambadi

In the area north of town, there is heavy ground scarring from the tsunami wave. The houses on the northern edge of town are hardest hit, with approximately 15% destroyed and about 60% damaged. A small drainage ditch is clogged with debris for approximately 30m. Damage to fields and cropland along the northern portion of the town is moderate to heavy. The secondary road leading north from the town is damaged just north of the buildings where the tsunami apparently made its farthest intrusion, approximately 500m inland.

The center portion of the town does not appear to have suffered significant damage, although some internal damage and water damage is expected. There is one small building missing from its foundation. The entire area appears to have been protected by a small bluff. There is a bridge missing across the river, but that appears to be old damage, and not caused by the tsunami wave. There is extensive flooding and moderate damage to croplands along the riverbank and south of the river. Extent of damage cannot be adequately determined due to lack of pre-tsunami coverage.

Analysis date: Jan 5, 2005, 1800 MST (G-7)

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Banda Aceh, Indonesia

The city of Banda Aceh is one of the worst-hit areas in Sumatra. Approximately 70% of the city appears to be damaged or destroyed.

The first pair of images show the heavily-built-up northern island. All the buildings on the northern island were destroyed. Approximately 40% of the island is under water or washed away. The major docking basin at the east end of the island is 60% destroyed. The highway bridge to the island at its western end is intact, but the pedestrian bridge about a half-kilometer to the east is destroyed. Large portions of the island are under water in this imagery. All fish farms have been destroyed. Most of the docking facilities for the fishing fleet are gone. Any houseboats in the inner harbor are either destroyed or sunk.

The area of the city inland from the island is also badly damaged, although an occasional structure remains standing. These structures are probably heavily damaged on the inside, and will have to be rebuilt from ground up to be safe for occupation. About 70% of the roads in the area are either under water, badly damaged, or blocked by debris. The only human activity noted on the first "after" image are a few people in the streets. No vehicles of any kind are present.

The second set of images are close-ups of the damage on the north island. You can see that there is practically nothing left on the island, and nothing undamaged. Several large structures are gone completely, and others are only represented by foundations and a few vertical walls. In one area on the south side of the island where there had been some 70 floating houses there is now only muddy water and a few sunken walkways. Even the water vegetation is gone. Several dozen wharves and piers where fishing boats were at anchor in the June imagery are totally gone. All that remain of any boats in the December photograph are a few hulls partially submerged, or the remains of boats scattered on semi-dry land. All roads are damaged, covered with rubble, or under water.

The third set of photos show damage further inland. The fields (probably rice, some fish farming) are totally flooded, and most of the dikes between them are either under water or damaged. The crops for this year are totally devastated. The amount of standing water will cause problems of mosquitos and other water-borne disease vectors. The amount of devastation will mean that clean-up and recovery will require considerable time and resources.

Analysis date: Jan 2, 2005, 2135 MST (G-7)

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Banda Aceh area - East Coast.

This is the second in a set of four "before and after" shots from DLR, the German Remote Sensing Group, show the extent of damage that has occurred along the eastern coast of Sumatra south of Banda Aceh. The damage on the east coast is not quite as severe as the west coast, but is still considerable. Most of the rice fields in the area are flooded, and many of the dikes between fields have been damaged. The village located at the top of the photo is virtually wiped out. Many of the rice fields will require extensive effort to remove debris before any crops can be planted. Most of the roads and bridges are severely damaged or clogged with debris. Fields were stripped bare, and may be contaminated with salt and debris.

The village in the lower right corner of the image has not been as extensively damaged, but even those houses that are still standing have probably suffered moderate damage, and most areas are clogged with debris. One of the three buildings in the lower center of the photograph has 2/3 of the roof removed. The large group of buildings in the center of the "before" image has suffered about 85% destruction, and the remaining buildings are obviously damaged.

It is apparent the tsunami wave struck from north to south in this image. The degree of damage is most severe in the areas shown on the northern portion of the image, then gradually lessens as one moves south. There is still moderate damage even in the southernmost areas shown on the photography. Approximately 95% of all structures are destroyed in the area shown on the upper half of the image, and approximately 80% of the structures on the southern half of the image are destroyed. At least 75%, and possibly as much as 100% of the structures not destroyed are damaged. Approximately 90% of the trees shown on the "before" shot are missing on the "After" image. The road leading north from the village in the lower-right corner of the images appears to be intact, but will require checking to determine if the several bridges in the area are capable of supporting normal weights.

UPDATE: Additional imagery from DigitalGlobe reveals the extent of the damage to the city center, and the difficulty of cleaning up the area. The new photos show both the extent of the damage and the amount of debris that will have to be removed before the area can begin to recover. The main mosque is visible on one image. There is less debris there than in many places, but some exists, and there is mud throughout the compound. An athletic field and park possibly associated with an Indonesian Army unit in the city is covered in mud several inches, possibly even feet, deep. Many of the streets are filled to the second story with debris. All bridges in the city center appear to be intact, but on-site inspection will be required before submitting any bridge to heavy weights. Even in this area that escaped the brunt of the impact, there are many damaged or destroyed buildings, especially those to the north.

Additional imagery of the area west of Banda Aceh also shows heavy damage to lowlying areas. This photography also shows how higher hills can channel the destructive force of the tsunami, and increase the distance the damage extends inshore. This area has been heavily hit. Several small villages have been wiped out. Most fields, both water-irrigated and dry land, have been severely damaged. There is extensive evidence of beachfront erosion, with as much as 400ft (120M) of beachfront simply gone. There are at least two missing bridges in the imagery, and heavy damage to a number of roads.

Analysis date: Jan 4, 2005, 1455 MST (G-7)

Updated Jan 7, 2005, at 1820 MST (G-7).

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Banda Aceh area - West Coast

The destruction from the tsunami was considerably greater on the west coast than on the east coast of Sumatra, as it was closest to the epicenter of the earthquake that spawned it. The area covered by these two images is fairly densely populated, with both a number of medium-sized settlements and numerous individual dwellings. The entire area was heavily used for agriculture and some animal husbandry. There were numerous orchards in several places throughout the area.

Extensive damage is visible on Subset 3 imagery. Almost all vegetation in the area covered by this subset has been removed. All agricultural areas were denuded, and are probably contaminated with debris and salt. There are very few trees standing anywhere in the area. Approximately 90% of all buildings have been destroyed. Remaining buildings are probably heavily damaged, and should be considered contaminated. The beachline throughout the entire area is heavily eroded. There does not appear to be much drainage at the time this imagery was taken, and there is little silt being deposited in the ocean. The north-south highway in the center of the photos is damaged, and at least one bridge appears to be down. All secondary roads are in extremely poor shape due to erosion or are blocked by debris. There are several areas with extensive flooding and standing water.

There is less damage to vegetation on Subset 4 imagery, but the damage to manmade structures is still quite extensive. The rail line that runs along the coast is damaged or destroyed in no fewer than 11 places. The entire railbed is gone in several places. An object that appears to be a large barge is on top of the rail line near the top of the imagery. There is a small oil refinery or gas separation plant that hs sustained considerable damage, although at least one of the two spherical tanks appears to be intact and there is little or no leaking anywhere in the compound. The wharf in the harbor west of the refinery has suffered heavy damage, and there appears to be an overturned vessel in the harbor. Most buildings along the coast have been totally destroyed. There is severe to moderate erosion all along the coastline, but the area is not as devastated as the area to the north.

Analysis date: Jan 4, 2005, 1730 MST (G-7)

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Calang, Sumatra

In the first image, the bright-green area is healthy vegetation. The dull pink to red areas indicate human habitation or cleared areas. Blue/blueblack is water.

In the second image, the dull red areas shading to purple are areas damaged by the tsunami. As you can see, the damage is pretty severe throughout the main inhabited areas, with damage being virtually total from the coastline to approximately 2km (1.3mi) inland. In some areas, the area of primary damage extends as far as 5km (3mi) inland, especially along the slow, sluggish rivers of the area. The town of Calang is virtually destroyed, as are most human habitations along the bay area and inland along the river. The tsunami reached to the edge of the village of Cutek. Receding seawater left many areas close to the coast flooded. The villages of Kuede Panga and Kuedo Teunom were also heavily damaged. Scale of imagery precludes a more detailed evaluation, but the force of the tsunami would suggest that most roads in the area are impassable, and that all bridges are either washed away or badly damaged.

Analysis date: Jan 2, 2005, 2135 MST (G-7)

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Meluaboh

The city of Meluaboh can be roughly divided into thirds by three main thoroughfares that meet at a circle in the center of the city. These three areas are labelled "west beach", "eastern quarter", and "southern town" for convenience. The "west beach" area also includes the peninsula that juts into the Indian Ocean.

The West Beach area is almost totally destroyed, with only a dozen or so prominent buildings surviving. A third or more of the palms that lined the beach in this area are gone. Almost all housing is destroyed or significantly damaged. The main north-south road is completely covered with sand as it approaches the coast on the northern side of the city. Many of the major streets in the city itself have been cleared of debris, and there is vehicle and pedestrian traffic in a number of places within the city. The beach along the western coast has been severely eroded, and there are a number of areas of flooding throughout the area. Smaller streets within this part of the city are still clogged with debris. Many of the buildings near the center of the city remain standing, however many of these have probably been damaged by water and debris. Even in the town center there are some buildings that have lost roofs and suffered damage.

The damage to the buildings along the peninsula range from total to moderate. The lighthouse at the end of the peninsula remains standing, but its operational status is unknown. The radio tower closer to the town center also remains standing, and the buildings on both sides of it appear to have suffered light to moderate damage. There are a few buildings along the area that also appear to have not been totally destroyed.

The small harbor on the river on the south side of town has suffered moderate to severe damage, although some boats remain in fairly good condition. The breakwater along the southern shore has been breached in at least three places, and the island heavily eroded behind it. There are a number of boats washed up on the mainland side of the harbor, and at least one boat on its side in the river. At least 90% of the buildings on the island have been destroyed. Along the area south of the breakwater the tsunami wave pushed at least a half-mile inland, destroying approximately half the structures in that area, damaging another large percentage, and leaving flooding in many areas. Debris, including fishing boats up to 35 feet in length, was pushed as far inland as the back of buildings along the main east-west thoroughfare in the city. Several of the streets appear to have been cleared of debris, indicating that some city functions are operating, and people are beginning to rebuild their lives.

The east side of town suffered the least damage, being farthest from the sea. However, some areas to the north show significant patches of damage, with from 40% to 70% of the buildings destroyed and the streets blocked by debris.

Analysis date: Jan 12, 2005, 1250 MST (G-7)

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Dhigafinolhu, Maldives

There is extensive reef scarring all along the eastern edge of the reef in this imagery. Some of the scarring extends inward as far as 500m (1600ft) from the eastern edge of the reef. There does not appear to be much erosion or silting of the coastal waters.

Analysis date: Jan 2, 2005, 2135 MST (G-7)

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Gulhi, Maldives

Analysis date: Jan 3, 2005, 2010 MST (G-7)

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Guralahu

Damage to Guralahu appears to be light to moderate. The two harbors in the photography appear to be operational. There does not appear to be significant damage to the reef surrounding the islands, or to the islands themselves. The islands do not show any of the severe ecological damage that is apparent in the Andaman and Nicobar islands, although some reef damage is apparent. Image quality is insufficient to determine damage to individual dwellings.

Analysis date: Jan 3, 2005, 1640 MST (G-7)

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Mafushi Island, Maldives

There is evidenceof damage to housing at the north end of the island, where the absence of house roofs indicate the houses are no longer standing. There is evidence of access drives and foundations, but the basic structural details are missing. The damaged area appears to extend approximately 50m (160ft) from the coast. Indirect evidence indicates at least 20 structures were destroyed, and the possibility that as many as 50 more are damaged. The majority of the roads on the island appear intact, but several along the coast at the north end of the island appear damaged. There is also an indication at the south end of the island that the city's main port has sustained some damage, and the wharf there has sustained at least moderate damage. All the apparent damage is on the eastern side of the island. There is no visible damage to structures or infrastructure on the western side of the island.

The reef area appears intact, and damage can be considered minor to moderate all along the eastern barrier reef. There is some evidence of outwash along the northern end of the island and just below there opposite two of the island's probably-unpaved roads.

Analysis date: Jan 3, 2005, 1822 MST (G-7)

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Male International Airport
Hulule Is., Maldives

Analysis date: Jan 12, 1315, 2135 MST (G-7)

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